The OUT NYC (CLOSED)

Homo hot spot Hell’s Kitchen is the location of New York’s first specifically gay (but “straight-friendly”) luxury hotel. Built in the husk of a 1960s motel, the OUT NYC offers more than mere accommodation. The sprawling all-in-one playground also houses XL Nightclub, Cabaret & Lounge, a 14,000-square-foot club operated by nightlife bigwigs John Blair and Beto Sutter, and Tony Fornabaio and Brandon Voss of FV Events; a restaurant, Ktchn, and a 5,000-square-foot spa. The complex is designed around three courtyards: the faux-ivy-lined sundeck, which leads to a glass-ceilinged area containing two eight-person hot tubs; a serene black-bamboo-planted garden; and a faux-grass “great lawn” for lounging (and posing for the rooms that face onto the patch). Despite a few style statements like illuminated bedside cubes and dramatic black velvet curtains framing the bed, the monochrome room decor is on the spare side. The quad rooms ($99–$129 per person), with four curtained cubby-bunks reminiscent of old-fashioned sleeper compartments—upgraded with double beds and personal TVs—are a budget option for those who are traveling with a crowd or want to make new friends. Rooms: 103.